the pain of existance
by mydarlingdelusion
Summary: a new half demon named Kaei joins the group. she is of the future and the little black book she carries may contain the secret of destorying Naraku.
1. Hidden Battle

DISCLAIMER: I don't own InuYasha & company but I do own kaei

The Shikon Shards and the Little Black Book  
  
"I'm hungry and tired." Shippo complained as the group walked deeper into the dense forest.  
"And what do you want me to do Shippo? Do you really want to sleep here?" InuYasha yelled at the little kitsune. He didn't have time to play baby-sitter for anyone, especially not Shippo.  
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled as he usually did when he felt threatened by InuYasha.  
"Oh, stop being so stupid, InuYasha." Kagome said exasperated by InuYasha's behavior. "Can we please stop?"  
"It's not as if we are doing anything important. We are just wandering." Miroku argued.  
"Pointlessly, might I add." Sango put in while trying to stifle a yawn.  
"Fine then. If you all want to sleep then sleep." InuYasha crossed his arms and sat down. The group sighed exasperatedly.  
"But cant we just-" Shippo began but was cut off by Miroku smacking him on the head with his staff. "What was that for?" Shippo clutched the top of his head.  
"Don't piss him off any more. We got him to stop, even if it's not in the most convenient of places, we should pretend to act grateful." Miroku explained. Sango and Kagome nodded in agreement.  
A half-hour later, a fire blazed cheerfully in their makeshift campsite. It seemed to be out of place in the dark bleakness of the forest night. It cast eerie shadows across every person there. It showed who was asleep and who wasn't. Which of course was none other than InuYasha and Shippo.  
"That's one thing about him that never ceases to amaze me." Sango commented.  
"About who?" Kagome asked sleepily.  
"InuYasha. He always complains about stopping but is sometimes the first to take advantage of it." Sango said, tapping Kirara on the head.  
"I guess he's just more tired then he lets on." Miroku said, leaning back against a tree.  
They sat in silence for a while just watching the flame's dance. They were jerked out of their reverie by a harsh wind that blew through them. The fire was nearly put out. With the wind came the sounds of a battle.  
Kirara sat up in Sango's lap. Her fur bristled and stood on end. Then she started to growl.  
"What's the matter, Kirara?" Sango asked her pet demon.  
InuYasha's head snapped up.  
"There's a fight nearby." He said. His ears twitched a bit as he said this.  
"A fight?" Shippo whimpered. He crawled onto Kagome's shoulder.  
"Umm....I think I'm sensing Shikon shards....A lot of Shikon Shards." Kagome said pointing off into the direction of the battle.  
"Shall we go then?" Miroku asked pointlessly. He already knew the answer.  
"Like we have a choice, idiot." InuYasha snapped.  
"Let's go then." Sango said. She had changed into her exterminator's armor while the group had been debating. Her hiraikotsu was slung over her shoulder as usual.  
After about five minutes the group came upon the scene of the disturbance. It was a small clearing hidden in the depths of the forest. Only one figure could be seen.  
It was a demon. A very large snake demon to be precise. It had a snake's tail but from the waist up it had the features of a man. Large fangs protruded from the mouth. They looked highly venomous.  
"Amazing." Kagome wondered aloud "We were so close and yet no one sensed this." Her hand rested on her bow.  
"Do you think it's won already?" Sango asked her eyes settling on the hole in front of the demon.  
"No way. We would have heard something, besides I sense another presence." InuYasha said. He narrowed his eyes and then they focused on a figure that jumped out of a tree.  
"There!" He pointed at it. The group's eyes followed the motion until it came to rest on the figure.  
"Do you honestly think a little trick like that would finish me off?" the figure said arrogantly.  
It stepped out of the shadows and in to the dim moonlight. Everyone stepped into the clearing to get a better look.  
It turned out to be a girl in her teens. She was short and slender with long fire red hair that hung down past her shoulder blades. There were two chunks in the front that were shorter than the rest and were black. They couldn't see her face. A sword was held in her right hand.  
"You think she's human?" Shippo asked.  
"Are you blind!? Of course she's not, look at her hair! She smells of half-demon blood." InuYasha said.  
"Shippo....you have the worst demon sense." Miroku commented. Shippo glared at him.  
"Pervert." Shippo argued.  
"Shut up!" InuYasha yelled. He for once was trying to be serious.  
"You've got a mouth on you but it shouldn't take much more to destroy you, stupid half-breed." The snake demon taunted. Its statement had confirmed their suspicions of the girl's breed.  
"Then why am I still here?" the girl mocked. Then as if a flip had switched in her head, she threw her sword at him. It landed right in front of it, leaving him completely unharmed. The group looked at each other confused.  
"What was that?" he laughed.  
"Distraction, shitface" she put her hands together so that they were almost touching and immediately a glow came. It grew into a baseball sized fire ball. She stretched her right hand back and threw it at the demon. It made contact and took off the demon's left arm.  
"Hahahahaha!" She laughed as the blood poured from the demon.  
"Sadistic much?" Sango muttered at the half demon.  
"Kagome, do either of them have jewel shard?" InuYasha asked.  
Kagome squinted. "Yea, the demon has 2 but the girl.....I can't count them all."  
"Well then I think im going to go join the fun." InuYasha said as he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and headed out into the clearing where the girl stood.  
"Should he be doing that?" Shippo asked.  
"No, not at all." Miroku answered.  
The group sighed deeply and followed InuYasha a little ways out into the clearing. This was going to be interesting.


	2. the Shikon Shards and the little Black B...

Disclaimer- I don't own InuYasha and co. only Kaei.

InuYasha ran out on the field and stood next to the girl. He held the transformed Tetsusaiga out in front of him. The girl merely turned around and glared at him.

"And what in all the hells do you think you're doing?" She asked, black eyes narrowed. When she turned everyone got a better view of what she looked like.

"She's beautiful." Miroku commented.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Sango crossed her arms.

"Oh my dearest Sango, I thought you knew me better then that." Miroku said, pretending to be offended. She just shook her head.

In all truth, the girl was pretty. Her abnormally color fire red hair was long and the short black streaks on either side of her head framed her face nicely. She had inky black eyes that were currently full of annoyance. Her ears were pointed, though the left one had 7 silver hoops in it, 3 of them in the cartilage, but the right ear only had one. When she yelled you could see her fangs, and her fingernails curled into sharp claws.

But it wasn't her looks that startled Kagome, it was her clothes. They looked so..........modern. She was dressed in head to toe black. She wore a fitted black tank top, baggy black jeans and black combat boots. Around her wrists were silver cuffs and she wore a silver cross necklace (no there is no religion. The significance of that necklace is brought up later). On her back was a black Nike drawstring bag and around her waist was a black sword belt.

"Look at her clothes. They look as if they are from my era." Kagome pointed out, but before anyone could say another word, the two were at it again.

"I'm joining you're fight." InuYasha yelled back. 'She's powerful' he thought 'the power's emanating off her in waves. And she's only half-demon.'

"No, you're not. This is MY battle." She yelled now clearly frustrated.

"Yes, I am."

"Go away. You should know better then to distract someone during a fight."

"You're right. You should leave."

"Me?! I was here first dipshit."

"So? Stupid wench."

"You did not just call me wench."

"Wench."

"Bastard."

"Oh gods." Sango commented.

"Does she remind any of you of anyone?" Miroku asked, a small grin playing across his face.

"They are exactly alike." Kagome shook her head.

"We're doomed." Shippo wailed. He began to run around in circles waving his arms in a clear panic.

"Get out of here stupid!"

"No! Any battle that concerns those damned shards is mine."

"Who said anything about shards?"

"I did."

"Oh I don't really care about those." Her voice mellowed out a bit.

"Then give them to me!" He snapped.

"No. You're clearly not the person I'm supposed to give them to."

By now even the demon that they were supposed to be fighting was looking at them with faint interest. He took advantage of their distraction to use it against them.

"A few words of advice, filthy half-breeds, never ignore your opponents." He swung his tail at them and sent them flying into a grove of trees, which they hit. Hard.

"This is why you don't interrupt battles." The girl wiped away a bit of blood that had trickled out of her mouth.

"If you would just hand over those—"She cut him off.

"InuYasha! Are alright?" Kagome ran over to him.

"For the last time, you are not......." She stopped dead, "Wait if you're.....then she's....and they're......ooooo." Her mouth formed an O and her eyes softened considerably.

"I'm going to teach that demon a lesson." InuYasha said charging out to face it. This time the girl didn't follow. She just stood there watching as InuYasha dodged energy attack after energy attack. Waiting for that one....There it is. The last attack that InuYasha had dodged was now on a direct path for Kagome and herself.

"Damn." InuYasha turned to go and protect Kagome, who let out a small scream.

"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku yelled.

But instead of one of her faithful companions stepping in to help, it was the girl. She placed herself in front of Kagome, arms outstretched and palms facing forward. Fire danced around those hands, then shot off and created a shield which protected Kagome and the girl, from the attack. This for Kagome would have been fatal.

"Did she just intentionally save Kagome?" Sango asked shocked. Even Shippo had stopped his panic dance to stare.

"Then this would make her not our enemy?" Shippo asked.

The girl looked up again and her eyes flashed red. The fire shield retreated into her hands where she then released it in one fatal attack at the demon. It killed him instantly.

Then as if oblivious to all of their stares, she practically skipped over to the demon's smoldering remains. After picking up her sword and digging through the remains a bit, she found what she wanted and walked back to the group. It was only then that she noticed their stares.

"What?" She asked genuinely confused.

"Who are---"InuYasha was once again cut off, but this time by a dull buzz.

"Naraku's poisonous insects?" Miroku said in disbelief, "But they only come around when he's involved."

"Exactly." The girl replied. She dug through her bag, then pulled out a book, "He caught up already," She read on a bit more then replaced it, "Huh."

"Kaei." A cold voice rang out.

"Naraku took you long enough. I was beginning to wonder." Kaei said smoothly, as she sheathed her sword.

"Give me back what you have taken." Naraku commanded, reaching out his hand. But then he eyed the group standing with Kaei and seemed to reconsider.

"No, anyway the jewel wasn't yours to begin with, ass." Kaei responded. "It's only too bad I just got half."

'If she stole the jewel, well at least parts of it,' Kagome thought, 'She's not evil?"

"I'll be back for that which was stolen from me." Then he along with his little bugs vanished.

"I'll be counting on it." She yelled at his retreating form. "Coward."

"So then that was the real Naraku." Miroku speculated.

"It was." This girl, Kaei's voice sounded far away, but then it snapped back, "So then you're Kagome, correct?" Kagome nodded, still a wee bit nervous over what this girl was planning.

"Then I believe these belong to you." Kaei's face had a shit-eating grin on it as she held out her opened fist.

In the center of her palm lay half of the Shikon Jewel.


End file.
